With the shock of rising gas prices, a lot of American car buyers were flocking to small cars in 1976. But not all of them were, as the Chevrolet Chevelle was still popular with consumers. 30,000 copies of the… more»
• For Sale • 19 Comments
Last Real Deal: 1956 Packard Four Hundred
For most people, Packard died in 1956. Studebaker-based Packards were around for two more years, but dealers and customers weren’t impressed. After the 3,224 Packard Four Hundreds (aka 400s) rolled off the assembly line in ’56 (along with some… more»
• For Sale • 30 Comments
Rare 390 V8 Drop-Top: 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7
Mercury joined the pony car scene in 1967 with the Cougar, an upscale alternative to the Ford Mustang. It was popular enough to claim third place in the sales race (behind the Chevy Camaro). Mercury delivered 100,000 Cougars in… more»
• For Sale • 16 Comments
Post-Coupe Survivor? 1965 Pontiac GTO
When Pontiac introduced the GTO in 1964, company executives expected to sell approximately 5,000 units per year. Instead, more than 32,000 buyers lined up during the first outing, followed by 75,000 more in 1965. So, to say the mid-size… more»
• For Sale • 13 Comments
Power Pack and Patina! 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air
This 1956 Chevy Bel Air has been sitting for 20 years, perhaps outdoors. But it seems to be in surprisingly good condition, though we doubt it runs, and we don’t know the status of the interior. But it has… more»
• For Sale • 11 Comments
2 for 1: Pair of 1964 Ford Fairlane 500 Projects
Ford reinvented the Fairlane in 1962 as a new size of car – the intermediate. It was sandwiched between the full-size Galaxies/Customs and the relatively new Falcon compact (1960). The first generation of the “new” Fairlane was through 1965,… more»
• For Sale • 20 Comments
Same Owner 23 Years: 1961 Buick Special
Buick resurrected the Special nameplate in 1961 and applied it to their new “senior” compact. It was joined elsewhere within GM by the Pontiac Tempest and Oldsmobile F-85 (Chevy was peddling the air-cooled Corvair). Separating the Buick from the… more»
• For Sale • 15 Comments
Patina Wrapped Driver! 1964 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88
Over the years, Oldsmobile sold a large number of automobiles with the 88 name (sometimes referred to as Eighty-Eight). The most commonly used moniker was the Delta 88, but the Jetstar 88 was also in the mix for three… more»
• For Sale • 26 Comments
Same Owner 40 Years: 1966 Pontiac Ventura
Throughout the 1960s, the Ventura was a trim option on the popular Pontiac Catalina. It was limited to` coupes and convertibles’ to add an extra touch of sportiness. That goal led to the introduction of the Grand Prix in… more»
• For Sale • 28 Comments
Former Cop Car? 1962 Chevrolet Biscayne
Debuting in 1958 (and continuing through 1972), the Biscayne was Chevrolet’s least expensive full-size automobile. With the barest of creature comforts, the Biscayne was popular with fleet purchases, such as for taxi cabs and police cars. That would explain… more»
• For Sale • 23 Comments
Big Toothy Grin! 1955 DeSoto Firedome
DeSoto was more than a 16th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador (Hernando de Soto). It was a division of Chrysler Corp. from 1928 to 1961. Positioned between Plymouth and Dodge, it was a viable make until the late 1950s. Chrysler… more»
• For Sale • 14 Comments
454 V8 Drop-Top: 1970 Chevrolet Impala
The full-size Chevy Impala continued to be one of the best-selling U.S.-made cars in 1970. At more than 600,000 units, a GM labor strike prevented the nameplate from coming close to its 1965 record of one million copies. Estimates… more»
• For Sale • 17 Comments
Captive Import Survivor: 1977 Dodge Arrow
While Ford and General Motors rolled out their own subcompact cars in the 1970s, Chrysler opted for badge-engineered imports instead. One example was the Plymouth Arrow, which was a Japanese Mitsubishi Celeste in disguise, sold in Canada as the… more»
• For Sale • 19 Comments
Driver-Quality 327 V8: 1966 Rambler Ambassador
The Ambassador was American Motors’ fanciest passenger automobile from 1958 to 1974. In the first half of the 1960s, it was more like a swanky Classic that rode on a mid-size platform in 1963-64. But for 1965-66, AMC would… more»
• For Sale • 15 Comments
Quirky Survivor? 1961 Dodge Lancer 770
Dodge joined the hot U.S. compact car movement in 1961. While Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth all had fresh designs in 1960, Dodge had a quicker solution. Their entry was a badge-engineered version of Plymouth’s Valiant called the Lancer with… more»
• For Sale • 23 Comments
Cheap Wheels Survivor: 1974 Ford Maverick
The Ford Maverick was the successor to the company’s first compact, the Falcon. As it had done with the Mustang, Falcon underpinnings were also under the new econobox, which debuted five years to the day after Ford’s pony car…. more»
